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Sa m ple file Kamarathin - 40 - Chapter One: Kingdom of Tursh Woodcutting The village of Rayne is pretty accepting of many things, considering it's a frontier town that is fast becoming a trade gateway as well as a gathering place for "adventurers" and other undesirables. There are three industries in Rayne, Trade with the Matharians, Woodcutting and Mercenary work. The first involves all aspects of trade for the Matharian stone and metal goods, ranging from raw ore to finished products. The second is the prominent industry for those without boats or trade contracts and the third involves the many patrols of mountaineers that keep the passes and surrounding areas clear of predatory monsters and Enni slavers or the guarding of foolhardy expeditions into the Malgit. Sa m ple file Rayne is surrounded by thick hardwood forests which have led to the primary industry of the village. The woodcutters live in a small complex of sorts set aside on the western edge of town. It consists of four buildings that are more like human stables than townhomes or cottages. One building for the bachelors is just a long room lined with beds. The second is for the bachelorettes and is much smaller, but otherwise the same. The third is a series of rooms like an Inn and is reserved for the married woodcutters and their families; most will eventually build their own cottage, but reside here until the home is complete. The last building is community storage for the tools and supplies, including the draft horses - 41 - Kamarathin Religion Religion within the Village of Rayne generally mirrors that of the surrounding highlands. The Old Faith holds sway here and thanks to the Plague Wall, many distrust or outright despise the Church of Asuna. Unlike most of the highlands, Rayne is home to a Forge Cult temple as well as a small temple to Asuna, specifically the Order of the Children of the Sun. Founding Day 1510 A.F. Discovered Sa m ple During High Summer the village of Rayne traditionally holds a weeklong celebration that is funded by the mayor (Sir Lissean). This celebration is in honor of the village’s founding and consists of feasts, musicians, entertainers, merchants and contests. It begins on the last new moon of the summer. The contests revolve around archery, axe throwing, log cutting, log throwing, wrestling and fisticuffs, as well as eating and drinking contests. Each contest has a small purse of 1 Pence and the one who wins the most contests is awarded a dagger crafted of Matharian Steel by the Ilumite of the Khazar Clanhome. militia let alone a house guard. When the winds of war began to blow, she quickly turned to the Khazar Clanhome and the Halls of Geidbrir for aid. With the Ettell and Gaver rivers forming her northern border she decided that they would be the quickest route to deploy any resources her allies would send. The Matharian Ilumite, Birud Anam approached Chieftain Trayne of the Bendams, now House Bendam, to utilize his tribe’s wintering ground for the gathering of the soldiers and supplies. The negotiations were quick and simple, Trayne would receive full ownership of the land and title rights, and the Matharians would build a bridge that crossed the Ettell. For their part, the Matharians would have full trade access and use of the new village without taxes or tariffs during the reign of the next three Illumites. And so it was that the village of Rayne came to be. House Bendam would fall into neglect over the next ten years and finally be absorbed into House Vilare. file and wagons. A blacksmith and Ferrier also reside here. Surprisingly enough, the woodcutters are not an organized group. At most two or three work together to share profits but the entire group manages to work together, sharing everything. Guildmistress Jirdolen has seen a great opportunity here and is in negotiations with her superiors and the woodcutters to incorporate the latter into the Carpentry guild. The History of Rayne Just over 100 years old, the Village of Rayne has had a fair share of excitement and tragedy. I’ll relate just a few of the highlights her for your edification. 1466 A.F. Rayne Is Founded During the time of the Robber Barons, Duchess Kaline had to fend off many petty raids and even several full assaults from Lordlings who claimed full inheritance to her lands. Despite her having come from local tribesmen, she was still not able to tax enough to raise a well equipped Rakhil Is In 1510 a great discovery was made by the miners from the Khazar Clanhome: Rakhil ore. Rakhil is an ore that is extremely rare, outside of fallen stars it is only found once in an Age. As an ore it has no use outside of a rather striking door stop, but once refined it turns into a reddish metal that is blessedly easy to enchant. Just a few threads of metal placed within armor or weapons or anything you'd care to enchant, will allow the enchantment to take much easier. To say the least, the Clanhome became rather wealthy as merchants from across the continent began to make calls on our village. The constant traffic was a boom time for us and the village grew to twice the current population from rivertraders and caravans alone. Every inn and tavern that you see here today and more besides, were built during this time. But soon enough the vein ran out and the bulk of the merchants and traders stopped arriving. The fair weather townsfolk packed up their belongings and headed to Riverford which had become a rather major trade town. Rayne went back to its quiet origins, a mere shadow of what it was. - 42 - Chapter One: Kingdom of Tursh Spring: A Cold Sa m ple In the spring of my 26th year, I had just completed my studies at the Royal Academy and had returned home to begin studying metallurgy with the Matharians. The winter snows refused to loosen their grip and had lasted well into spring. It didn't take long before rumors of foul magic and curses began springing up. I tried to counsel my fellow villagers to remain calm as surely there was no reason for our fair village to be cursed. However, Sir Kirine had other ideas and with a word here and there he was able to turn the terrified people against an innocent woman. He claimed that the Asunite priestess, Mary, had brought an endless winter upon us. He dredged up the stories of the Blood Wall and swore that Asuna had no love for those who followed the Old Faith. It didn't take long for the village to turn into a mob. Poor Mary never stood a chance as they hung her in the village green. It took another tenday but the snows did stop. It was this terrible event that made me question the decency of the man that ran our village. file 1571 A.F. Injustice 1571 A.F. Rebellion Summer: Seeds of That summer Lady Ethalian of House Jobarry accepted the hand of Sir Kirine in marriage. A massive feast was held in celebration. Lords and Lordlings from across the Duchy came to participate in the tourneys and to offer their congratulations to the new couple. There was talk among the peasantry that the good Lady would be able to tame the ill-liked knight. As the Weaving Circle druids were giving the blessings of the Goddess to the pair, a voice cried out from the crowd. A Mountaineer named Perley burst from the audience, he demanded justice for the murder of his friend, the Priestess Mary. He challenged Sir Kirine to a duel to prove his innocence in this matter. True to form and with much embarrassment to his new wife, the ‘good’ knight ordered the capture and execution of Perley. Perley was no fool and had anticipated this reaction. Several other Mountaineers appeared from the crowd and defended Perley from the oncoming guards and freelances hoping to win favor. Perley and his men escaped into the mountains becoming a terrible thorn in Sir Kirine’s side for many years to come. For his part Sir Kirine began imprisoning anyone who even had the slightest association with the rebel. This was a dark time for us, no one knew if the next knock on your door would be a friendly neighbor or the lord’s guard come to throw you in chains for real or imagined slights—a dark time indeed. 1571 A.F. Fall: Raids and a Birth Perley and his men continued to raid any caravans or riverboats that had any signs of the hand of Sir Kirine. Each tenday Perley would add a few more disgruntled villagers, mountaineers and even bandits to his cause. It was a good time for the popular rebel, with the winter coming and less traffic arriving due to the increasingly severe weather and his own actions, Perley was sure that the villagers would rise up and depose Kirine. Mid-Fall Perley’s wife gave birth to a healthy little girl that he named Sinia. Perley was a happy man; I remember having tea with him once, you see, I was taking a small trip to Geidbrir’s Halls to winter with the Vaerdi there. Apparently one of our porters was one of Kirine’s men and Perley’s rogues ambushed us and took us prisoner. The porter was questioned and hung on the road, the rest of us were held in a nearby cave. It was here that I met the man. He was quite an amiable fellow, though not one disposed to long conversations. I still do not know how he had discovered the loyalties of that porter. - 43 - Kamarathin Winter: Life and 1577 A.F. Summer: Death and a Nightmare This summer proved the Druids’ predictions. It started off well enough, Sir Kirine and Lady Ethalian birthed their first child and heir, a daughter. The nobles’ joy was to be short lived, however, as the ghost of Mary did appear and placed a curse upon the family. Exactly what that curse was no one is certain, when Sir Kirine exited the room he had the pallor of the grave on him and his daughter in his arms. The good Lady and the midwives were all dead without a mark on them. In midsummer I was summoned to the Weaving Circle, when I arrived I was greeted to what I thought was a camp of war. Every druid within a league was gathered along with what I suspected to be nearly every Mountaineer as well. Sprinkled among them was every form of animal that could be found in the Highlands. My entourage and I were greeted with weapons bared until identities could be established. I was led to a tent just outside of the circle where I gazed upon a most wretched sight. A man who claimed to be from Marone was huddled in the back, his eyes sunken and wide open in utter terror, his entire left side was warped into nightmarish forms of twisted faces. I have never been able to remove that poor man’s eyes from my nightmares. I was told that he had been found, wandering in the woods wailing in abject terror, a band of Mountaineers were sent to the town to see if anything more could be found, they returned in full flight, running from something. According to the druids, those men and women are still running to this day. It would take the rest of that year and the lives of many more good people before the druids and I discovered that Marone had become the birth place of a Nightmare. The entire town was slaughtered or Sa m ple Unfortunately for Perley, the coming winter held many horrors. It started off well enough as my good friend Ishalân Zirun Ulumîn was given leave to build a Forge in Rayne. A great boon, indeed, this meant that travelling Matharians would be more likely to stay in the village rather than pushing on to the Clanhome another day away. But all the Forges in the land could not assuage the fury of this winter. The snows came hard and fast. Several blizzards hit our poor village; the Vaerdi claimed that the blizzard was a good sign. They claimed that the ice was the weapon of their goddess Thurgaard and it was a sign that Hafgring had crept near and she was doing battle with him. Half of the Halls kept awake at night with weapons and armor ready. “For when the Beastlings come.” answered one warrior to my inquiry. And come they did. Throughout the winter woodcutter cabins were found empty, their owner’s bodies found ripped apart as they ran from some unknown monstrosity. I once accompanied a Vaerdi hunter and though we found no game we happened across the remains of an Aigulf camp. Whatever had happened here had been the stuff of nightmares. As we searched for any survivors I heard the muffled crying of a babe. Tracking it down we uncovered an Aigulf pup hidden within a tent. We took him back to the Halls and the Vaerdi women took him under their wings, caring for him through this evil time. I adopted the lad, named him Caid and raised him as my own son. You may have met him on your way here, he’s become the law in this village; he’d be a Sheriff had we lived in the east. A good lad he is. That all changed in late spring when several woodsmen returned with signs of the Blackhand plague. We all feared for our lives then, seeking out the druids we begged them for their aid, thankfully the Old Faith runs strong through Rayne and the Druids were able to stop the spread of the disease before it killed too many of us. But the comet had brought more than just the Blackhand to us, an evil far worse was gestating a few days to our west in Marone. file 1571 A.F. Death 1577 A.F. Harbinger Spring: The On the New Year a comet appeared in the sky, the Druids told of a darkness encroaching upon our village and that the comet was its herald. When nothing happened through early spring, most had thought the Druids to have misinterpreted the signs. The seasonal rivertraders came and Perley and his rebels continued to fleece them. All-in-all it was a typical spring. - 44 - Chapter One: Kingdom of Tursh 1578 Day 1577 A.F. Fall: Early Freeze Sir Lissean and his wife, Lady Phermma of House Manevin, have begun construction of a fortified manner house on a small rise on the south side of Rayne. At this time only the foundation has been settled and the outlines of the walls and out buildings have been dug away. Many see this as a sign that the village is going to enter a boom time and they are eager for the supposed growth. Sir Lissean is actually building the fort in response to a Druid’s premonition that the Marone Nightmare's corruption is expanding and will soon threaten the village of Rayne, but not before it swallows the Geidbrir Clan. Sir Lissean has spoken with Birud Anam the Khazarian Ilumite, Chieftain Kastar and Afknir Ava, Guildmistress Jirdolen, Sage Thonelle, Caid and Ishalân Zirun Ulumîn the Forgeborn Otases about this. All agree that defenses must be developed for the village. Caid is training the militia even harder while Sir Lissean has sent envoys to Baron Riondsay to alert him of the danger and to ask for some knights to help train and recruit a soldiery. The Ilumite has offered the services of several Pyroclasts and Homeguard once the time comes. Mercenaries are always at hand and the Guildmistress will likely fund the hiring of many. Chieftain Kastar has pledged his warriors and hunters to the cause as well. Many mountaineers have come forth and offered to keep watch for Shadowlings, a sure sign of the Nightmare’s encroachment. Word has even been sent to the Royal Academy, but little word has been received from that illustrious institution. Sa m ple The threat of the Nightmare held my attentions for the entirety of the fall. I journeyed to Riverford and then to Lissinia. From there I made my way to Haylone where I wintered with the Asunian Priest, Stermilin. A more corrupt, intolerant and lascivious band of nobles and priests I have yet to encounter, but that is a story for another time. To say the least I had no connection to Rayne while I was away. When I returned I received word that Mary’s ghost had appeared once more, this time she did so in the village green. Her wail struck a local woodcutter sending him into unconsciousness. As he lay in his sickbed he told of visions of the village covered in ice and he and his family frozen in their bed. The woodcutter’s words would turn out to be very prophetic as a cold snap enveloped the village early, it was said that even the Ettell froze over. As for the woodcutter, he was indeed found frozen but not in bed, he apparently had moved his family into a neighbor’s home and had died while trying to retrieve his daughter’s favorite doll from his own abode. His family, however, had been saved by his actions. 1577 A.F. Winter: The Flood As if the early freeze wasn’t bad enough, the winter proved to be rather warm and snows were uncommon. Instead Merdashtes brought rains, according to those that were there, you could count the rainless nights on a single hand during midwinter. The Ettell became glutted with so much water it leaped from its banks. The Ettell flooded the basements and root cellars of every building within the village. For nigh on three tendays the village was awash. Between the freezes and the eventual retreat of the waters, there was no food left to the villagers, what was left had rotted. By the end of the winter my kinsfolk were starving and suffering from the Hollow Cough. Once again the actions of the druids would prove to be the saving grace of the village. Through their faith in the Old Ways, the druids were able to bring an early spring crop of fruit and herbal remedies to chase away the sickness. We owe the Weaving Circle much. A.F. Spring: Present file run off and the Nightmare grows stronger each day. Prominent Villagers My village is small, that is very true, but we do have folks that we consider to be important. While they may not make center stage at the King’s Ball, I can state with full confidence that should something of import take place here, they will be involved. Sir Lissean of House Vilare Sir Lissean of House Vilare, a knight in the service of Baron Riondsay of House Jobarry, is the mayor of Rayne. Born of noble heritage he is a - 45 - Kamarathin Ishalân Zirun Ulumîn Captain Crahn Captain Crahn of the riverboat Marsh Queen is arguably the most well known rivertrader along the Ettell and possibly the entire Gaver. His boat is like no other and harkens back to the longboats of the Great Darkness. He claims to have found it in the Water Wood while living with the Tilla tribe of Bezzi (a claim that is almost as absurd as his tale about the boat itself). It was during a hunt for a particularly nasty Water Dragon that he heard the voice of a maiden calling to him. He knew the tricks the marshes could pull on a man so he ignored it, but the calls continued and only he could hear them. For three days he tried to resist, but finally, driven mad by them, he journeyed off into the swamp. For weeks he searched, surviving on nothing but insects snakes and... Well, the story goes on for a very long time, getting longer with each retelling and more outlandish with each pint. But the truth is that the boat is in pristine condition, it is a design no longer made and it seems to run aground or snap its oars whenever the Captain has a tryst with a woman on shore. Sa m ple The Cult of the Forge has a temple in Rayne. All of these temples are called Forges usually preceded by the name of the city it resides in, so this particular one is called the Rayne Forge or just the Forge by the locals. The Rayne Forge is under the direction of Ishalân Zirun Ulumîn. He has attained the rank of Otases and is of the Forgeborn, those that speak for the Great Ilkhan, Mathar. He is wise, crafty and exceptionally short tempered with those that make him wait. He is also good friends with the Tursh sage, Thonelle. The two are often seen having oft-heated discussions at Thonelle's cottage or at The Dog's Bar. and the resulting goods, preferring to not get involved and overstep her political bounds. However, she will not tolerate a non-guild craftsman attempting to work in "Her village." Many suspect Vilin and Oivo are more than they appear, particularly Oivo who doesn't seem to know anything about carpentry and no one has ever seen him working wood. file graduate of the Royal Academy and a mage of middling skill who prefers the company of those who work hard and play hard rather than musty tomes and books. He is married to Lady Phermma of House Manevin, a Tursh who is descended from a long line of Highlanders. Her house is in service to House Jisan and their marriage was a political maneuver to ward off tensions between them and House Clah. Living with the knight and lady is Sir Lissean’s cousin, Lord Scota. An enigmatic figure among the citizens of Rayne, he keeps his secrets close to his chest and is never seen without at least one of his bodyguards. Many rumors circulate about the lordling and his affairs, but in truth little is known about him. Jirdolen of Clah There is only one guild in the village of Rayne (and that in of itself is rather unusual for such a small village), the Carpenters guild. Considering that Rayne's primary exports are the fine hard woods that can be found in the surrounding forests, it may not be a surprise that the guild has some serious pull in the local politics. The guild contains all of 4 members: the town’s Guildmistress, Jirdolen of Clah, a Tursh woman of low birth whose business acumen has propelled her to the top over those with more carpentry skill; a local Tursh man, Journeyman Vilin; an Aigulf woman, Journeyman Isorlean; and finally an Atharân apprentice named Oivo. The Guildmistress tends to keep the guild’s activities limited to their focus on lumber Dariss of Leenor Dariss of Leenor is the second most popular merchant in town, she's known as The Provisioner and specializes in goods for the traveler. Dariss is a stunning redhead with a patch over her right eye.—a wound she took while fighting off Bezzi near the Water Wood. Once a Rivertrader herself she decided to set ashore after meeting and marrying the mercenary, Krayne. Every time she would arrive in the village with her latest cargo, Krayne would have a list of supplies that he needed for his current employer. Backpacks, lanterns, waterskins, rope, wedges and grappling hooks as well as dried - 46 - Chapter One: Kingdom of Tursh foodstuffs and sturdy clothes, Dariss quickly saw a market. She sold her boat and petitioned Sir Lissean for a writ to build a cottage near the village green. It wasn't long before her shop was doing quite well. Dariss' shop has a 50% chance of containing an item that is useful in the "exploration trade" during the spring this chance gets reduced by 1% for every 10 days after summer begins and the prices rise accordingly. She doesn't trade in armor or weapons leaving that work to the Matharians or Sir Lissean’s smith; Gayn. If an item isn't found another attempt can't be made until the next caravan or riverboat arrives from down river or from Beilean. She does take requests but it can take upwards of a month or longer to acquire the goods depending on availability and the time of year. Sa m ple The Rayne Forge has been covered already, but the Asunite Temple bears more detail. Long ago in the village’s history, an Asunite Priestess was unjustly accused of dark magic and tragically slain by the villagers. The now deceased mayor at the time was responsible for this heinous act and her ghost has haunted the village ever since. About 10 years ago, an Asunite priest arrived on a trader’s boat and met with Lord Scota. Soon after, the Lordling gifted the priest with a small townhome which he converted into the temple of the Children of the Sun. The temple itself is fairly non-descript and the rundown building lies just off the bridge. The few priests that dwell there spend their time serving warm stews and opening their bottom floor to any who wish to take of their generosity. They don't preach to the masses and those who wish to join their services are welcomed with open arms and without any expectations. The Children's low profile and a collective guilt for the murder of Priestess Mary has combined in a way that lets the villagers forget the Plague Wall and leave the priests alone. At most people will discuss sordid speculations as to why the generally aloof and arrogant Lordling would have been so generous, particularly since it is well known that he follows the Old Faith. file Father Jone - 47 - Sa m ple file Kamarathin - 48 - Chapter Two: Religion spirits that are "common" and infuse the aforementioned places of the world. These are also the creatures which Spirit Binders control and The world is a frightening place full of manipulate. dangerous and unexplained things and The second stage is called ‘Awakened’ happenings. To help cope with this, the people of and at this time the spirit has garnered a form of the world have turned to religion and superstition sentience. These are the spirits that are able to to ease their minds and allow them to endure walk in our world for as long as they wish without tragedies both real and imagined. causing detrimental effects to themselves or the The power of the supernatural is both world around them. At this stage they will actively real and significant. Whether you follow a deity, seek Channelers and work to gain worshippers. spirit or pay service to an entire pantheon, religion The third stage is what has become is a core facet of every member of nearly every known as gods. These spirits have reached a level race. Even those rare few who do not offer of power that we cannot comprehend and all of it regular prayers to the gods and spirits will be gained through their established Faiths. Ironically, hesitant to speak ill of them for fear of bringing this is also when they can least affect the world forth their ire. directly. Due to some supernatural barrier that Within this chapter I explore the was apparently erected during the Scale Wars, no fundamentals of the spiritual world, or at least "god" can directly access our world. what have become common beliefs, and the most In shape and form, the common spirits common religions within the Kingdom of Tursh. are transient. They have no natural form in our To say that these are the only religions within the world and simply resemble that which the viewer Kingdom, let alone the whole of Hylrexia, would feels the manifestation "should" look like. These be an arrogant disservice to the diversity of our varied appearances apparently have no affect lands. whatsoever on the capabilities of the spirits. These few The second “We are the children of the Spirits. They are in that have been listed form becomes much here do, however, everything you see, everything you touch. It is they who more solidified in its cover the religions created the world and it was they who punished us for shape as it acquires and beliefs that one is more and more turning away from them. Some call this the Scale Wars, most likely to followers. The image encounter and the but we who listen know it as the Awakening. of the fledgling god ones that have had These gods of the New Faiths are just uppity becomes a constant some direct impact as their religion spirits. They have been corrupted during the Great upon the foundation develops and Darkness by contact with us and now they look to rewrite of our Kingdom. becomes codified. their own histories and to shackle us to them and them The gods Spirits themselves are static alone. But we who listen know better, we know the in form, having been Spirits infuse sounds of spoiled children and we must be like the patient established in it for every aspect of our parent and let them learn their lessons.” generations upon world, while there generations. That is, are places where the unless, their form is Fiorlann the Skald of the Eóghas Clan discussing the area is spiritually inherently nature of gods and spirits dead; these are changeable. dreadful and thankfully rare places. Spirits are spawned from a dimension Spirits are wholly chaotic creatures that other than our own, a place known as The Aether. have no rhyme or reason beyond the object, ideal They are physical manifestations of concepts, or emotion they embody. But not all spirits are emotions and things. Because they are not born this way, like all things they change and evolve they are without souls and are thus immortal, over time. unable to be killed in the traditional sense. Their There are three known "stages" of this cohesive form, however, can be dispersed. This evolution. The first and lowest forms are the base Sa m ple file Introduction - 49 -